Serena Williams is still the future of American tennis

The most anticipated match of the first round of the U.S. Open gets top billing Tuesday night as world No. 1 Serena Williams, who turns 33 next month, faces off against 18-year-old Taylor Townsend, a player Serena has already dubbed “the future of American tennis.”

It’s another proverbial passing of the torch match. If all goes according to plan, the generational overlap will be on highlight reels 15 years from now, when Townsend is wrapping up a historic career of her own. It’ll be the WTA version of that famous 2001 Wimbledon match when a teenaged Roger Federer upset four-time defending champion Pete Sampras.

But while Townsend and her young contemporaries such as Sloane Stephen and Madison Keys will indeed become responsible for lifting the sagging fortunes of American tennis one day, their time hasn’t come just yet. Until Serena and her older sister Venus retire, they’ll remain the present and future of the sport.

(Getty Images)

Ten years ago, no one thought the sisters would be still playing tennis in 2014, least of all them. It was always said they had outside interests that were going to cause them to lose passion for the sport. Instead, it appears those interests have kept them grounded enough to avoid the burnout that affects other top talent.

“I definitely didn’t see myself playing tennis at my age,” Serena said earlier this month at a tournament in Montreal. “But it just so happens that I love to play, I love to compete. I’m having fun. I just really can’t let it go. … I don’t want to let go. I won’t let go. That’s why I’m still here.”

(AP)

Why should she? Despite her Grand Slam slip-ups in 2014, Serena is still the best player in tennis. She’s favored every time she steps on the court, she can play tournaments at her own leisure (which she’s always done anyway) and she still has an outside chance to challenge Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles. (Serena currently sits at 17.)

There was another torch-passing match at the 2013 Australian Open when Sloane Stephens upset Serena. Was this going to be the moment the landscape of American tennis subtly shifted?

It didn’t. It won’t tonight, no matter the result. Serena isn’t passing anything across that net. It’s still her sport until she says otherwise. The future is now.

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